Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy is one of the biggest original shows on the streaming site. The two seasons currently available have been huge hits and quickly assembled a committed fanbase. A third run is expected to shoot in early 2021, targeting a release either later that year or in 2022, and now we’re hearing that the company might try to fit in a spinoff series as well.
The Umbrella Academy recently got a burst of publicity when Juno, X-Men and Inception star Elliot Page (who plays Vanya) came out as trans. The news became a global sensation, with Page one of the most famous people to date to make such an announcement. Netflix was quick to say how proud they are of him and swiftly confirmed that they wouldn’t recast Vanya.
This immediately led to rumors that the character will transition as part of the show’s narrative. And now, trusted insider Daniel Richtman claims that not only will that indeed happen, but the streaming giant is also working on a spinoff for Page, though he doesn’t offer any further details.
And while we’d advise taking this with a grain of salt given that it hasn’t been confirmed, it certainly makes sense. The third run of the series has presumably already been written if it’s due to go before the cameras in early 2021, so reworking those scripts to do justice to a transition plotline runs the risk of feeling clumsy. Vanya is an interesting enough character to warrant a solo spinoff, though, with season 2 having already laid the groundwork for the development by revealing that she’s queer and having her embark on a relationship with a woman.
There’s a lot of interest in Page right now, too, so this might be a great way for Netflix to kill a few birds with the same stone. It’d give the actor the spotlight to show what they can do, allow the right amount of focus on the story and if there are Umbrella Academy fans who for whatever reason don’t want to watch a transition plotline, they can just skip the spinoff. Everybody wins!
